When Palmerston North mother Roanne Hautapu first noticed her 7-year-old daughter, Quinn, had a bit of a floppy arm she didn’t really take it too seriously.
Her doctor did though, and ordered a CT scan.
The CT scan identified a large bleed in her brain, and as Quinn underwent more tests, hospitalisation, and a large stroke down her right side, she was eventually diagnosed with a primitive neuroectodermal tumour – a type of brain tumour.
“It was an awful shock to be given that life-altering word of cancer. It actually took me weeks to accept it,” Roanne said.
Throughout Quinn’s treatment, Roanne said she was in constant fear of her daughter relapsing or dying. It was incredibly challenging to watch her daughter’s body change, losing hair and weight so dramatically and rapidly, she said.
She said Quinn loved getting blood transfusions and called it her “go-go juice”.
“It was quite incredible to see a lethargic, irritable, whining child suddenly smile and burst back into life soon after a transfusion.”
Quinn Hautapu as a child with her platelet transfusion.
Roanne used a quote from her book to describe people who donated blood and plasma – “Love is not what you say, love is what you do”.
“I think the altruistic giving from donors – what they do is pure love.”
Quinn has been cancer-free for 10 years now but is still living with the consequences of the stroke and all the other issues childhood cancer can cause.
She was a national ambassador for the NZ Child Cancer Foundation in 2014 and is currently on the leadership team for CanTeen Aotearoa, as well as the consumer advisory group for AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa.
This week is National Blood Donor Week, and New Zealand Blood Service is encouraging more people to join their campaign and donate plasma to help people like Quinn.
Demand for plasma, which is considered liquid gold as it is vital for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and countless other conditions, has risen by 30% over the last three years.
New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) acting chief executive Josh Bankers said this rise is due to factors like an ageing and growing population, increased instances of cancers and earlier diagnoses of cancers, more treatment paths for people with autoimmune disorders (many of whom require regular plasma transfusions), and the ongoing advancement of plasma-based therapies.
“Plasma can be turned into 11 lifesaving treatments, and is used for more than 50 illnesses.”
In addition, he said, plasma helps treat burn victims, kidney patients and helps provide a vital clotting factor for people with bleeding disorders.
In New Zealand, just 17,435 people are currently registered as plasma donors. To keep up with current demand, 2100 plasma donations are needed every week, but the actual number of donations made each week is about 1850 on average.
People can donate plasma in Palmerston North and Wellington as well as Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch and Dunedin. Plasma donations can be made every two weeks, and take around 45 minutes. Plasma is collected via a process called apheresis. Red cells and platelets are returned to the donor and only the plasma component is kept.
To donate blood or plasma, make an appointment at www.nzblood.co.nz.
Every year around 30,000 people have their lives saved and improved by New Zealand donors.
Following the recent lifting of the vCJD permanent deferral, people living in the UK, Republic of Ireland or France between 1980 and 1996 can now donate blood or plasma.
To help address demand, NZBS has increased the number of plasma beds across the country, brought in new plasma donation machines, lengthened opening hours and started mobile plasma drives in some urban areas.
People wanting to donate need to check their eligibility here. A more detailed questionnaire will need to be completed at the donor centre when people arrive to donate.
